James Atherton (photographer)

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James Kenneth Ward Atherton (December 16, 1927 – November 29, 2011), was a veteran news photographer who caught iconic moments through a lens in Washington D.C. for over forty years.[1][2]

Early years and education[]

Born on December 16, 1927, in the District of Columbia. He graduated from Roosevelt High School before joining the U.S. Navy shortly after World War II. He served in Asia as a military photographer.

Career[]

After serving in the military, Atherton was a staffer for the wires at United Press International for a period of twenty years. As a freelance photographer, he covered every U.S. president from Harry S. Truman to Richard Nixon, as well as the major events of the day, such as the McCarthy hearings, the 1963 March on Washington and the State funeral of John F. Kennedy.[3] Very few contemporary world leaders from this period of history escaped his lens.[4]

President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy bid farewell to Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco. UPI photographer James K. W. Atherton can seen on the right edge

The following month, on April 11, he was the press photographer during the search for USS Thresher.[5]

In 1970 he became a staff photographer and picture editor at The Washington Post. Following his award-winning photo coverage of the Watergate hearings, he continued to cover Capitol Hill throughout the Iran–Contra affair hearings.[6]

He also photographed Senator Charles Mathias and Majority Leader Howard Baker discussing the aftermath of the 1983 United States Senate bombing. [7]

The Boston Globe described how his colleagues referred to him as:

Bad Light Atherton

from his practice of sacrificing what other photographers considered the best (or easiest) lighting conditions for a more arresting image.[8][9]

Later years[]

He retired in 1990, however continued to make himself available to students of photo journalism and academia until his death.

Honors[]

In 1997 he received the Kodak Professional White House National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Achievement Award. He was described as a major influence on photographers and news photography in the nation's capitol. Atherton had joined the NPPA in 1955 and was a Life Member of this association.[10][11]

Death[]

Atherton had suffered from cardiovascular discomfort since a heart attack and bypass surgery in 1999. He died on November 29, 2011, aged 83 in Annapolis, Maryland. He was buried at St. Paul's United Methodist Church Memorial Garden, in Kensington, Maryland.[12]

Press around the U.S. paid tribute to him, with lengthy obituaries featured in the Boston Globe, The New York Times and the Washington Post.[13][14]

Legacy[]

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has identified 75 photographs in its collection that have either been attributed to Atherton, or he is a protagonist in the photo. [15]

References[]

  1. ^ "Time Magazine: In memory of the photographers we lost in 2011".
  2. ^ "JFK Library has a handful of photographs of J K W Atherton with JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis".
  3. ^ "U.S. Library of Congress Biographical Tribute to J K W Atherton".
  4. ^ "Getty Images photos by J K W Atherton".
  5. ^ "Two Navy aircraft departed Andrews Air Force Base, Md., at 1:00 P.M. (EST), April 11, to overfly the area in which the search for the USS THRESHER. James Atherton, part of the news pool was aboard" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Getty Library Images attributed to James K Atherton".
  7. ^ "J K W Atherton's photo of the aftermath of the 1983 United States Senate bombing".
  8. ^ "Biography of J K W Atherton and his photography".
  9. ^ "J K W Atherton Obituary in the Washington Post".
  10. ^ "National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) article on J K W Atherton".
  11. ^ "History of the WHCA". www.whca.net. White House Correspondents' Association.
  12. ^ "The Capital Gazette: James K. Atherton obituary".
  13. ^ "J K W Atherton Obituary in the Washington Post".
  14. ^ "J K W Atherton Obituary in the Boston Globe".
  15. ^ "JFK Library - Photos attributed or connected to J K W Atherton".
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